I come from a very traditional Midwestern family where some Thanksgiving traditions are not to be messed with. I don’t know how some of these culinary delights came to be, but I’m sure many of you can relate… the infamous canned green bean casserole made with canned cream of mushroom soup and canned fried onions? Plain white mashed potatoes with a stick of butter? Sweet potatoes made sweeter with sticky marshmallows? And I’m not sure if this is a midwest thing or a “my family” thing, but there’s always Jello (and not for dessert… it’s “dinner Jello”).*

I won’t be with my family this Thanksgiving, but if I were, I might bring something like this to spice things up…

I’ve had cornbread stuffing on my mind lately and when I saw these cute little poblano peppers at the farmers market, I knew they would add just the right kick (of course you could use jalapeños if you can’t find poblanos).

It’s a bit of an extra step to have to make the cornbread, but you can make it a day or two in advance. (And it’s ok if you sample a piece).

I mixed in some traditional stuffing ingredients – onions, celery, carrots, and sage – as well as some southwestern accents – scallions, cilantro and mexican oregano. And for a healthy kick I even snuck in some kale.

*disclaimer: my mom is also not a fan of the green bean casserole and of course she makes many other delicious Thanksgiving dishes aside from the ones I listed above. And “dinner-jello” is made with love by my Aunt Kathy, and was, in fact, my sister’s favorite dish as a kid.

First, make the cornbread: Whisk together the cornmeal, flours, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the almond milk, olive oil, and maple syrup.

Using a large spoon, mix both together (do not overmix).

Pour into a greased 8×8 baking dish and bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

For the stuffing: In a large skillet heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for a few minutes until they start to soften. Add the carrots, celery, and pinches of salt and pepper, and continue cooking until the vegetables soften, about 5 minutes. Add the poblanos, garlic, sage, and oregano and cook a few minutes more. Deglaze the pan with the white wine. Add the corn, scallions, currants, and kale with some more salt and cook for just another few minutes, until the kale wilts down. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.

Crumble the cornbread into a large bowl, add the cooked veggies from the pan, and toss it all together. Pour the almond milk mixture on top and toss again. Mix in the chopped cilantro. Taste and adjust seasonings, keeping in mind that it will taste (a lot) less spicy once it’s baked.

Pour into a greased 11×9 (or similar) pan and bake for approximately 15-20 minutes. You want the inside to remain soft, and the outside just slightly crisped. I turned my broiler on for the last 2-3 minutes to get a nice golden crust.

Notes

*Alternatively, you could stuff this in the turkey and/or bake some separately if you have vegetarian guests.

Being from NZ (Thanksgiving doesn’t exist there) I do appreciate hearing of these tradational family dishes. Even if they make me giggle (I didn’t even know green beans came in a can!). I cant believe only one square of cornbread is missing. I know my husband and I would have to sample one each for sure. Great alternative to a typical stuffing – and the enamelware IS beautiful.

I’m pretty much a traditionalist when it comes to stuffing. No nuts, no fruit, etc. I like to keep things simple. But this?? This has to be made. I have a definite thing for cornbread and these flavors, but would have never thought to turn it into a stuffing. I know my husband and our friends would be a huge fan of this, so I might have to switch plans and make it for Thursday!

Love this spin on regular stuffing. The cornbread and poblanos are a great add-in. I’m not a huge fan of the normal stuffing. This is a version I know I’d love. I’ll definitely give it a try soon 🙂 Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving!

This looks absolutely amazing!! I’ve been trying to come up with a vegan and GF stuffing recipe that my non-vegan family members will like too, and this sounds perfect! We’re in TX, so this Southwestern-style recipe is right up my alley; and I love that you used cornbread–genius!

We were just going through my husband’s late grandmother’s recipe box and were laughing at all the marshmallow recipes. And Jello recipes. My husband was telling me about how he had to suffer through quite a few of the recipes when he was younger. She was from the Mid-West also:)

I am excited to make this for a belated Thanksgiving. One of my guests has a nut allergy so I was wondering: should I replace the almond milk with rice or dairy milk or would it be better replaced with a veggie broth? Can’t wrap my head around the right answer. Just not sure if the almond milk is supposed to bring a creaminess that I would need to replicate or not. I would love some feedback when it’s convenient. Thank you!

Hi! I’ve been vegetarian for about two years now, but I still haven’t found my new traditional Thanksgiving dish. I’ve seen stuffed mini pumkins on the Web and I was wondering if you think they would go well with this spicy stuffing? The pumkins probably need to bake for 45-60 minutes and I’m worried the stuffing would get overdone because not a lot would fit in the mini pumkin (1/4-1/2 cup maybe?). Would you bake this stuffing separately or add it part way through the baking of the pumpkins? Thank you so much!

Hey Jeanine, I never said thank you for the suggestions! I’m going to try the millet stuffed acorn squash as my main dish this year with maple glazed carrots and mash potatoes with mushroom gravy as sides! I’ll let you know how it goes! Thanks a lot!

This was delicious!
I made a few modification
– Cooked the vegetables for longer. I love caramelized onions so made sure to caramelize those for like a good 10 minutes
– Instead of white wine vinegar i used a pomegranate vinegar, though any fruity one would work (apple cider vinegar, etc)
– Used cranberries instead of currants!
– i used TJ’s frozen roasted corn which i sauteed before adding to the caramelizing veggie medley!